MENOMONEE FALLS – It might look like just a neighborhood bar, but The Social Haus has plenty to offer.

Co-owner Dan Della described his establishment as a “bar with food” rather than a restaurant with drinks, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t plenty for diners to enjoy.

Della and his business partner, Mark Brooks, opened The Social Haus in December 2015 after a previous attempt at ownership didn't work out.

“I was looking at a different bar to open and needed some investors and Mark was willing to do that,” Della said. “That place fell through, but this came up right at the same time and we jumped on this opportunity.”

A town of Brookfield native, Della has worked in the restaurant industry since age 14, when he washed dishes in Waukesha and throughout high school. His path later took him through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a number of bars in the city, including Flannery’s for 10 years.

As for The Social Haus itself, it spent time as both a bar and restaurant before Della and Brooks’ ownership.

“Prior to us it was a little breakfast cafe called The Lodge, and then before that it had been a little corner dive bar for 40 years,” Della said. “We came in and fixed it up and modernized it and all that.”

Many of the regulars at The Social Haus are from the nearby neighborhoods or visiting from the nearby soccer park in Brookfield.

“I’ve gone through a couple of times since it opened, and it’s kind of a pleasant surprise. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but they take good care of you, and it’s a real solid place,” Sussex resident Jerry Wright said.

But while many of the guests are regulars, that doesn’t mean that newcomers aren’t more than welcome to enjoy one of the bar’s Old-Fashioneds or the kitchen’s fish fries.

“It’s grown quite a bit. There’s always new people coming in, and every time they come in they’re surprised by what it looks like on the inside,” Della said.

As for the name itself, Della and Brooks owe it to their respective better halves.

“My wife helped come up with it. I had driven past the place for 10 years, and it always looked like a house to me. So whatever name we came up with, my wife said it had to have house in it,” Della said. “And my partner’s wife is German, and so we just went with more of a pub spelling.”

The Social Haus is a good spot to stop in for a drink and an appetizer such as the beer pretzel cheese curds.(Photo11: Submitted photo by Jim Hamberg)

Growth is certainly on the owners' minds for The Social Haus as it makes its way through its third year. One particular priority is to make sure that guests have easy access to the establishment.

“We’d like to expand the parking lot," said Della. "That’s been our biggest Achilles heel, I guess. So possibly this summer we’re going to work ... on the parking issue. We’d like to add on to it.”

In addition to those plans, Della also pointed to other goals including further using the Haus’ sizable back patio for more outdoor activities, adding more smoked meats to the menu and potentially even expanding the structure itself.

The Social Haus

ADDRESS: N48 W18474 W. Lisbon Road, Menomonee Falls

PHONE: 262-293-9565

WEBSITE: www.Facebook.com/TheSocialHaus

PRICE RANGE: From $6 for a house salad up to $13 for a cheese curd burger

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